dropped to the earth. The
Assyrian, adroit and immensely strong, stretched him with one blow of
his axe, given between the eyes.

The audience howled with delight, and threw flowers at Sargon and his
victim. Ramses stood still with drawn sword, astonished and angry,
seeing how Kama snatched flowers from her neighbors and threw them to
the Assyrian.

Sargon received expressions of public delight with indifference. He
pushed the bull with his foot to be sure that the beast was lifeless;
and then, going a couple of steps toward the prince, said something in
his own speech, and bowed with the dignity of a magnate.

A bloody mist passed before the prince's eyes; he would have buried his
sword in the victor's breast gladly. But he conquered himself, thought
a moment, and taking a gold chain from his neck gave it to Sargon.

The Assyrian bowed again, kissed the chain, and put it around his neck.
But the prince, with a bluish flush on his cheeks, returned to the door
by which actors entered the arena, and amid plaudits of the audience
left the amphitheatre with a feeling of deep humiliation.

CHAPTER XXXIV

IT was the month Thoth. In the city of Pi-Bast and its environs the
concourse of people had begun, because of heat, to diminish. But the
court of Ramses amused itself always, and people talked of what had
happened in the amphitheatre.

Courtiers praised the courage of the prince, maladroit men wondered at
the strength of Sargon, the priests whispered with important mien that
in every case the heir to the throne should not involve himself in
bull-fights: for that there were men who were hired, or who, at least,
did not possess public veneration.

Either Ramses did not hear these various opinions, or did not consider
them. As to the spectacle, two episodes were fixed in his memory:
victory over the bull had been snatched from him by the Assyrian, who
had also paid court to Kama, and she had received his attentions most
willingly.

Since he might not bring the Phoenician priestess to his palace, he
sent one day a letter to her in which he declared that he wished to see
her, and inquired when she would receive him. Through the same
messenger Kama replied that she would wait for him that evening.

Barely had the stars shown themselves, when the prince (with the
greatest secrecy, as he thought) slipped out of the palace, and went to
the villa. The garden of the temple of Astaroth was almost empty,
especially near